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(No Model.)

H. O. TOWNSEND 810. L. BUOKINGHAM OUT-OUT FOR ELECTRIC ARC LAMPS.

N0. 293,921. Patented Feb. 19, 1884.

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UNITED STATES PATE T @FFICE.

HENRY QTOWVNSEND AND CHARLES L. BUOKINGHAM, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

CUT-OUT FOR ELECTRIC-ARC LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,921, dated February 19, 1884.

Application filed lDecember 1, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY O. TOWNSEND the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gut-Outs for Electric-Arc Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

IO Our invention relates, in general, to automatic shunting or short-circuiting apparatus for electric lamps, and is designed more particularly as an improvement upon an invention forming the subject of other applications for patent filed by us. In prior applications we have described how, by the periodic or intermittent closing of a branch around the arc and an electric magnet in the arc branch, we may, in case of an abnormal length of arc, effect the closing of a safety-circuit around the lamp. Our present invention is designed to afford a simple and effective apparatus working upon this general principle, whereby the desired result of a short-circuiting of the lamp 2 5 may be effected in case the continuity of the arc branch be threatened by a failure of the carbons to feed; and to this end our present invention consists in the combination of an clcctro-magnet in the arc branch of the lamp, the armature-lever or core of which magnet will close a safety or short circuit around the carbons when it is retracted, a circuit-closer for intermittently or periodically closing a branch of comparatively low resistance around 3 5 said electromagnet and the carbons, an electromagnet in an auxiliary or independent line for operating said circuit-closer, and a circuitcontroller in said line intermittently or periodically operated by any suitable device, preferably from the armature-shaft of the dynamo supplying current to the lamps, whereby an intermittent or periodic closing of the branch may be effected. The magnet in the auxiliary line may, as explained in another application for patent filed by us, be operated by a current from the source that supplies the lighting-current, a suitable resistance being interposed in said line to prevent the diversion of more current to said line than is necessary to operate the magnets in it. The circuit-controller for the auxiliary line may be at the dynamo-statrio-light current passing from a dynamd'ma- 6o chine, and including the positive and negative carbons O G of electric arc lamps, as usual. The regulating or feed-controlling mechanism of such lamps we have omitted for the sake of simplicity.

F indicates an electro-magnetin the main circuit with the carbons, and having an armature-lever, F, or its equivalent, a movable core acted upon by a retractor, O, or other device, so that when the magnetspower falls to a predetermined point the armature will fall back against a conducting-stop, f, or will opcrate suitable devices, so as to close a short circuit, a, connected at points we of the main line, thus completing a short or safety circuit of low resistance around the arc.

E indicates an electro-magnet in the auxiliary line, which magnet operates a circuitclosing lever, H, or other suitable device, whereby a branch, (I, around the carbons and the magnet F may be closed. Said branch is connected at the point b of the main circuit, and includes the front contactstop, h, of the armature-lever H. The retractor for the armature-lever is indicated at p.

R is an artificial resistance in the branch (2, and is of such amount as to make the resistance of the branch approximately from two to five times that of the normal are. Said branch is not ahigh-resistance branch, but is of such value as when closed to effectively shunt current from the magnet F, provided the arc-resistance be abnormally high. This branch may be closed for a fraction of a second, say, once in every four minutes, (more or less,) depend- 5 ing upon the rapidity with which the carbons consume; but the duration of the closure is not to be sufficiently great to seriously affect the light. The retractor of F is so adjusted that only when the arc-resistance is abnormally IOO high will the closure of the branch (2 divert sufficient current from the magnet Fto weak tractor.

terposed in it, so that at starting the lamp the magnet may draw its armature up and break the shunt; but if the magnet be of a very low resistance, the interposition of an artificial resistance may not be found necessary, as when the carbons are in contact sufficient current will flow through the magnet to energize it for this purpose.

Having described the apparatus at the lamp, we will proceed to describe the form of periodic or intermittent circuit closer or con troller which we prefer to employ for producing, bymeans of the magnet in the auxiliary line, theintermittent or periodic closures of the branch d of low resistance. This apparatus we prefer to locate at the central station, and to drive from the dynamo or its driving mechanism. The particular devices herein described we have claimed in another application for patent.

O B indicate a circuit-closing wheel, which is intended to close the circuit of the auxiliary L once, say, in four minutes for an interval of, say, one-tenth of a second. It consists of a circuit-closing wheel or disk having a contact-point, J ,which in every whole rotation of the wheel makes connection with a spring, S connected to the auxiliary line L.

S is a spring constantly bearing on the shaft of the wheel GB, and connected with the dynamo through an artificial resistance, R the latter being intended to give the artificial linecircuit a high resistance and prevent waste of current through it. As will be obvious, at every contact of the point J with spring S". a current will fiow on auxiliary line L, and the armature H will momentarily close the branch d around the safety-shunt magnet F and the carbons. The disk 0 B is provided with a weight, K, which serves to bring the disk to the same position after every operation. An intermittent or periodic rotation is given to the disk by means of a racked orv otherwise constructed segment, U, of sufficient length to give, approximately, a whole revolution to CB by engaging with a suitably-proportioned pinion, V, on the shaft of G B. The

. utes.

segment U is uponthe shaft of a toothed wheel, Z, which is given a whole rotation in four min- The segment may he, say, one twentya rotation of the wheel 0 B in ten seconds. If the point J be approximately one-hundredth of the circumference, which would give it a width of approximately one-eighth of an inch on a disk of four inches diameter, there will be approximately a closure of the line L for one-tenth of a second. The desired rotation of the Wheel Z in a period of four minutes may be readily obtained by the employment of a reducing-train, consisting of a belt, 1?, transmitting from a pulley, P, on the dynamoshaft to a wheel, Q, of four times the diameter, and thence through a worm, NY, to a wormwheel, X, of, say, fifty teeth, from which latter the desired movement of Z may be obtained by a pinion, g on the shaft of X, having, say, onetwentieth the number of teeth of Z. lVith a rotation of P equal to one thousand revolutions per minutethe average speed of a dynamo-shafta rotation of Z in four minutes source independent of that supplying current What we claim as our invention is 1. The combination, with the magnet in the are branch, of a circuit closer for intermittently or periodically closing a branch around said magnet and the are, an electro-magnet in an auxiliary line for operating said circuit closer, and asafety short or shunt circuit,which is closed by the armature-lever of the magnet in the arc branch when retracted.

2. The combination, with an arc branch electro-magnet, of a periodic or intermittent circuit-closer for diverting current from said magnet and the are, an electro-magnet in an auxiliary line for controlling said circuitcloser, a periodic or intermittent circuit closer or controller in the auxiliary line, and a safety shunt or short circuit closed by the armaturelever of thearc-branch magnet when retracted.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 28th day of November, A. D. 1883.

HENRY G. TOYVNSEN-D. CHARLES L. BUCKINGHAM.

Witnesses:

THos. TooMEY, G130. 0. 001mm.

LOO 

